"A democracy -- that is a government of all the people, by all the people, for all the people."

That phrase was first uttered not by Abraham Lincoln, but by someone whose name you probably don't know. He was Theodore Parker, a 19th-century Unitarian minister, Transcendentalist and abolitionist, who wrote that definition of democracy in a sermon he preached in 1850.

Parker worked for decades to eliminate slavery through his sermons and his participation in the Underground Railroad, a network of courageous people who provided sanctuaries for African Americans fleeing slavery before the Civil War.

The story is that President Lincoln had a copy of that sermon with him when he traveled to Gettysburg. However it reached him, Lincoln eloquently reworked that definition of democracy into the conclusion of his most memorable solemn address and inspiring eulogy for the fallen soldiers.

--¦ We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

While Unitarian Universalists do not have a creedal statement of faith, there are seven principles that Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote. One is "The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all."

We draw inspiration from many sources, including the words and deeds of prophetic women and men that challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love.

These principles and sources of faith are the backbone of our religious community.

In 1853 Parker preached another sermon, called "Justice and Conscience," which concluded:

"I do not pretend to understand the moral universe, the arc is a long one, my eyes reach but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. But from what I see I am sure it bends toward justice ..."

I understand that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had read and openly admired Parker. In his sermons and speeches, King clarified this powerful image as he challenged people:

"Let us remember there is a creative force in this universe, working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows.

"Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice."

Those two phrases, King's and Lincoln's, are among five woven into a rug that graces the current Oval Office.

I am inspired and challenged by King's words and deeds all year long, but I bring up King in this week's column because Aug. 28 is the 50th anniversary of the great March on Washington.

King's prophetic ministry of love and justice intersected with Unitarians again when he gave the eulogy for a Unitarian minister, the Rev. James Reeb.

Reeb was one of many clergy who responded to King's call to come to Selma, Ala., in 1965.

Reeb was killed in Selma in 1965 when he and two other Unitarian ministers -- all three were white -- were attacked outside a whites-only restaurant.

Reeb, walking near the curb, was hit in the head by a man wielding a baseball bat. He died a few days later.

King delivered his eulogy in Selma on March 15, 1965.

"In his death James Reeb says something to each of us, black and white alike -- says that we must substitute courage for caution, says to us that we must be concerned not merely about who murdered him but the system, the way of life, the philosophy which produced the murder," King said.

"His death says that we must work unrelentingly to make the American Dream a reality, so he did not die in vain."

We strive to learn from the words and deeds of people who make a difference in the world, to appreciate the wisdom of religions of our world, and seek to be grateful for the gift of life and to live in ways help our neighbors.

It is encouraging to have faith that the arc does bend towards justice and humbling to reflect on the effort that requires.

That is where the "creative power" of love truly counts.

The Rev. Barbara G. Fast is the minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Danbury. She can be reached at 203-570-0447 or minister@uudanbury.org.